Chapter 1
Clarke Griffin stepped through the double doors and was met with a man holding his bleeding stomach. She rushed forward to assist him while calling for help. Octavia was the first to arrive. Indra wheeled a gurney from one of the rooms and together they lifted him up. He was barely conscious. Blood poured through his fingers. She pressed her own hands to the wound as he was wheeled to a trauma room.
“Let me change into scrubs,” Clarke said. “Meet me in OR three when he’s stable enough for surgery.”
“Got it,” Octavia said, nodding. She was cutting his clothing away when Clarke slipped from the room.
The locker room was empty as she changed into clean hospital-issued maroon scrubs. She had not slept well the night before. Her dad had another appointment with the oncologist to determine if his scans were clear. Her mother was nervous and used Clarke to vent rather than upset Jake. She understood her mother's emotional state because Clarke was stressed about the appointment, too. She just wanted his scans to be clear. The past three years had been terrifying.
Instead of stressing over the situation, she focused on her job. The man would need surgery on numerous organs. As they wheeled the man into the OR, she scrubbed her arms and hands. Indra put her gloves on before they stepped through the swinging doors.
“What did you find out?” Clarke asked through the mask.
“Multiple gunshot wounds,” she said. “Not sure how he got here. They’re checking security footage.”
“Good. Thank you for getting everything ready. Is Octavia scrubbing in to assist?”
“No, Raven’s on her way in. The new doctor arrived, so Octavia’s showing her around.”
The doors swung open a second later and Raven stepped into the room. She stood on the same side of the bed as Indra. Her leg brace was in place which meant she was in pain. Raven had tried surgery a few years ago to correct the damage in her knee but it was unsuccessful. Despite Clarke’s desire to try another surgery, Raven refused. She had asked too many times to count.
“Did you meet the new doctor?” Clarke asked while grabbing the forceps.
“Nope,” Raven said. “I saw her with Octavia when I came in here but didn’t say anything. I’m not looking forward to getting to know someone new. Everything runs smoothly as it is. Why does Marcus wanna fuck with that?’
Clarke chuckled. The two women traded places seamlessly and without a word before going to work again. Raven was lead now since the heart was showing signs of distress.
“We could use another set of hands,” she said. “We’re one emergency away from losing too many people. The paramedics choose us over any other hospital. It would be nice to not have a consistently full waiting room.”
“I guess that’s true,” she said. “But I have enough friends.”
“No one is forcing you to be her friend.”
Raven smiled at Clarke over the man’s chest before continuing. The two women met in medical school and had been inseparable since. They had been lucky to land jobs at the same hospital despite their different specialties. Clarke decided on trauma and Raven chose cardiology. Raven spent most of her time on call in the emergency wing to handle any heart cases but would often be called away for surgery upstairs.
An hour later, the surgery was finished. The man was in a medically induced coma to help with the healing process. Indra could make no promises to find his family without any form of identification. As of now, he was listed as John Doe.
She and Raven exited the OR together. They stopped at the nurse’s station to check the number of charts and open cases. Raven gave her a quick breakdown since she had not been a part of rounds at the beginning of her shift. Most were minor, a few people were waiting to be transferred to ICU, and the rest would be admitted in the next few hours. The waiting room was half full by the end of their conversation.
“Dr. Griffin,” Indra said. “I found the man’s family. His name is Harrison. They’re on their way now.”
Clarke smiled and touched the woman’s arm. “You’re a miracle worker, Indra,” she said. “Let me know when they arrive.”
“Go introduce yourself to the new doctor before Raven scares her off.”
When Clarke found the two women standing between two trauma rooms, Raven’s arms were folded tight across her chest. She was interviewing the woman if her body language said anything. Clarke had forgotten the new doctor’s name but felt an obligation to save her from her best friend.
“Raven,” Clarke said, stopping beside them. She turned to face the new woman. “Sorry about her. I’m Clarke.”
“Griffin,” Raven said. “As in Griffin Memorial.”
Clarke rolled her eyes and stepped in front of Raven to block her from their conversation. “I’m sorry about her,” she said. “Go away, Raven.”
Once alone, she sighed in relief. The other woman watched Raven saunter off over Clarke’s shoulder before holding out a hand to shake Clarke’s.
“I’m Lexa Woods,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. If you need anything, please let me know.”
Clarke left the new doctor on her own to adjust to the new environment. Their introduction had not gone as planned with Raven acting completely unhinged, but she was glad it was over. She had a long shift ahead with the added stress of her dad’s appointment. She grabbed a chart and started for trauma room six.